This activity will involve problem-solving, teamwork, communication, and application of knowledge. Your group will be responsible for the research, primarily designs, test structures, and tower constructions.
The project: Your group will deign, test, and construct a tower standing a minimum of ten feet made of 5 packs of drinking straws and a roll of masking tape. Teams will have three class periods to research, design, and test possible building shapes and structures.
Pre-Group write-ups: 1. Teams will describe their design process (what information was drawn upon to start the design process.
2. What are the basic shapes that are used and why they were chosen? Insert pictures/drawings to illustrate this process.
3. Illustrate you group’s final design.
4. What are the expectations – how do you think the system/structure of the tower will function- of you tower?
Post-Group write-ups:
1. Copy and paste pictures from Picasa into your wiki.
a) Click on picture in group to view.
b) Select picture
c) Control C to copy picture
d) Control V to past into your wiki
2. Group write up:
a) What went as expected or well with your group/tower project
b) What obstacle did your group encounter (communication, teamwork, structural,
materials, etc.)? How did you overcome them? Please give details.
3. Personal write-up:
a) Please describe three lessons that were learnt during the process of this project.
b) If you were to do this project again what would you do differently? What
would you keep the same?
Ten Foot Tall Straw Tower Project
This activity will involve problem-solving, teamwork, communication, and application of knowledge. Your group will be responsible for the research, primarily designs, test structures, and tower constructions.
The project: Your group will deign, test, and construct a tower standing a minimum of ten feet made of 5 packs of drinking straws and a roll of masking tape. Teams will have three class periods to research, design, and test possible building shapes and structures.
Pre-Group write-ups:
1. Teams will describe their design process (what information was drawn upon to start the design process.
2. What are the basic shapes that are used and why they were chosen? Insert pictures/drawings to illustrate this process.
3. Illustrate you group’s final design.
4. What are the expectations – how do you think the system/structure of the tower will function- of you tower?
Post-Group write-ups:
1. Copy and paste pictures from Picasa into your wiki.
a) Click on picture in group to view.
b) Select picture
c) Control C to copy picture
d) Control V to past into your wiki
2. Group write up:
a) What went as expected or well with your group/tower project
b) What obstacle did your group encounter (communication, teamwork, structural,
materials, etc.)? How did you overcome them? Please give details.
3. Personal write-up:
a) Please describe three lessons that were learnt during the process of this project.
b) If you were to do this project again what would you do differently? What
would you keep the same?